Potato pie "a la Polita"

A delicious pie which you can serve as a first dish or even as a main along with a fresh green salad. Not the usual method for this pie since some of the phyllo sheets are blind-baked before they get into the pie. This though makes the pie even more delicious and special

Adapted from a free leaflet of the "Chryssi Zymi",

a well known pastry & phyllo dough Greek company

Ingredients (for 6-8 people):
450gr. phyllo sheets pastry (about 10-12 sheets), thawed out
1Kg of medium potatoes (boiled, peeled and cut in small cubes)
10 slices of Greek Kasseri cheese (or white mild/creamy Cheddar)
10 slices of Gouda cheese
10 slices of ham, finely chopped
4 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
3 eggs
2 tbsp of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ tea-cup of fresh milk (full fat)
2 tbsp of grated Greek Graviera cheese (or classic Gruyère)
½ tea-cup of olive oil
salt
pepper
250gr. of unsalted butter, melted

Method:
Preheat the oven at 180°C.

Take 4 of the phyllo sheets and lay them on a baking tin putting a piece of baking paper between each one of them.

Bake the phyllo sheets, as they are, for about 15 minutes until they become crunchy. Take out of the oven and carefully, so not to break them, place them one next to the other on a clean table and leave them to cool. Keep the oven switched on at the same temperature.

In a large non-stick frying pan warm half of the oil on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they get soft and lightly coloured. Take off the heat and leave to cool for a bit.

In a large bowl put the potato cubes with the parsley, the ham, the graviera cheese, 2 of the eggs, the sautéed onions, the rest of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.

Using a brush grease a round oven pan (about 26-28cm diam.) with some butter. Lay on the bottom half of the raw phyllo sheets, greasing each one first with some butter. Lay on top the Kasseri cheese slices and on top of them lay 2 of the baked phyllo sheets brushing them first each one with some butter.

Then, empty on top of the baked phyllo the potato filling. Lay on top the other 2 baked phyllo sheets, again brushing each one with some butter.

Lay on top the Gouda cheese slices and in the end cover with the rest of the raw phyllo sheets, again brushing with some butter.

In a bowl beat the last egg with the milk and pour over the pie. With a pointy and sharp knife score the surface of the pie into pieces without cutting it all way down.

Put in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the pie is golden with the phyllo nicely crunchy.